Oh, Professor Schuyler
by Leonna Kanine
Summary: Porn with plot. A simple(ish?) one-shot with Conrad Schuyler because the fandom needs some smut with everybody's favorite professor. ;)


Catrina was never fond of dumbing herself down for any reason. She had worked too hard, too long, studied and trained too much to simply lock away her natural talent and knowledge to appease those around her. But for the sake of her job, and a personal promise to keep, she had swallowed her pride and allowed herself to become the dejected class idiot. An idiot who takes frequent supplementary classes with a particularly abrasive teacher: Conrad Schuyler. The man was the Gedonelune equivalent of Professor Snape, only more charming in that he _could_ be nice if the occasion called for it.

Which wasn't very often.

"Liz, hand me the book on Binary Bindings." The alias had become second nature to Catrina as a small sigh escaped her nose. She flicked the book off the shelf and brought it to her professor as requested.

The dark haired man didn't even glance in her direction as she set the thick text next to him. He was marking up essays like a mad man, every scratch of his quill diminishing a student's grade one point at a time. "Thank you. And be sure to let me inspect those spoons before you leave. I won't tolerate a slack job. If they're not done right the first time, you can expect I'll make you do them all over again."

"Yes, sir..." Catrina mumbled dejectedly. For her ritual screw up today she had decided to rust a class set of silver spoons which were meant to be molded into a fork and then back into a spoon with transformation magic. Normally she liked to animate the items in her lectures, but she was feeling rather gloomy today and decided to make the spoons match how she felt. The whole secret identity nonsense was starting to wear down on her after a few months. Partly because she wanted to show off her real magic to everyone who belittled her intelligence, and partly because... she took a sidelong glance at the man behind the desk, now flipping through Binary Bindings with a grimace. Another sigh escaped her, this time a little louder, as she went back to polishing each spoon by hand. More than anything, she wanted _him_ to see the real her. After months of attending his supplementary classes, spending quality time with him (more or less), and catching glimpses of his soft side, she slowly grew fond of him. Sure, he was harsh and ruthless in his teaching methods, but he only pushed his students so hard in order to see them achieve their full potential. Which was what she wasn't able to do. Which was why he'd never see her as nothing more than a bumbling idiot who'd never get anywhere in life, much less his love life.

Another sigh.

"Hart, if you keep sighing like that you're going to ruin my concentration."

"Sorry, Professor..." As she said it, she fought off another sigh, instead choosing to press her lips into a hard line and rub the silverware with more vigor.

Before long, she heard a disgruntled groan of annoyance from behind her so she whipped her head around to see Professor Schuyler leaning back in his chair, rubbing his temples in an attempt to fend off a headache.

"I'm sorry, did I sigh without realizing it?" She piped up, genuinely concerned to have soured his mood yet again.

"No, it's not you. It's these damn numbers." Catrina's heart fluttered a little at how informal Professor Schuyler was being towards her. It gave her a small piece of satisfaction knowing that he was, even if just a small degree, more comfortable around her than most of his students. Granted, she arguably spent the most time with him.

Tucking away her fleeting moment of joy, Catrina dusted off her skirt and approached the large mahogany desk. She peeked at the parchment strewn across the top, finally realizing that Schuyler had finished grading the essays and was now delving into what appeared to be a personal project. She recognized the symbols and sequences immediately: while binary binding was a relatively new magic in Gedonelune, it was actually fairly common in Catrina's home world where technology reigned king. Professor Schuyler must have been trying to teach it to himself in order to start incorporating it into the curriculum. However, as his headache would suggest, he was having a surprisingly hard time understanding it. The purpose of incorporating binary code into binding glyphs was to minimize the complexity of the inner glyph shape. It was easier to hand draw a square than an octagon.

Catrina noticed the mistake right away- he was trying to write out the hexadecimal system using the digits 0-15 instead of 0-9 and A-F. A very common mistake for beginners to make. Catrina suppressed a chuckle as she noticed the sudden role reversal- finally, _she_ knew something that he didn't. Even if it was simple.

"Professor, may I...?" Schuyler finally gave her his attention after staring at the ceiling with his hands clasped over his forehead. Catrina gestured to the quill and paper. Professor Schuyler looked amused.

"What, you think you can figure it out?"

Catrina gave a small shrug. "You never know, this might be one of my hidden talents."

After a moment of silent consideration, he sighed and shoved the book to her. "Fine. If you can somehow miraculously figure out how to write a binary glyph and fix my mistake, I'll give you a free pass on your next supplementary class." Because, without a doubt, she'd have a next one.

"Challenge accepted." Catrina grinned as she gathered the materials and settled at the coffee table in Professor Schuyler's office. _Okay, Catrina, make sure to take your time. You don't want him getting too suspicious if you spit this out in two minutes._ She thought to herself as she pretended to puzzle over the complex words in the text provided. Without her noticing, Professor Schuyler gave her a subtle sideways grin.

He hated to admit it but she was positively adorable. He felt wrong for thinking so given their age gap as well as their teacher-student relationship, but he couldn't help but let his mind wander sometimes. She technically _was_ an adult, so it wasn't too immoral. Although her outward appearance and demeanor would suggest otherwise... she was short and petite, wore her hazel hair in iconic pigtails with bows, had the biggest, brightest, pinkest doe-eyes he'd ever seen, and was always bantering on in an idealistic, naive way. She was quick to blush whenever one of her many admirers flirted with her- that is, when she had the wits to notice they were flirting. She failed at virtually every magic she attempted yet somehow remained positive and never let her failures get her down. Her face was always busy with a new expression every five seconds and she ate like a glutton, but still he wanted her. It was another deep, dark, hidden desire that would never see the light. He never even touched himself to thought of her for fear of crossing a fine line that would jeopardize their entire relationship. But, oh, how he ached to...

"Finished!" Schuyler was pulled from his thoughts to see an elated Liz (as he knew her) bouncing up and down with a completed binary glyph. For a brief moment, his eyes wandered to her bouncing breasts, but he quickly refocused his attention on the paper at hand. He took it, studied it, read her corrective notes in tiny, neat handwriting, and became absolutely stunned. She did it. She actually comprehended and understood a new magic so thoroughly she was able to correct him, a teacher. Her teacher. _I am hers in weird way, aren't I..._ Schuyler instantly shook his head to rid the thought before looking up at her. His steely gray eyes met her cheery rose ones. It took a few seconds for his brain to compute any words.

"Ah... how did you manage this?" At this, Catrina blushed and glanced down, timidly twiddling her fingers.

"W-well, I'm actually really good with math, or numbers in general. So, I guess it was just easier for me to comprehend." A semi-white lie. No doubt Catrina was excellent with numbers- it was one of her many degrees back home. But it didn't cover for her pre-existing knowledge of the magic. Professor Schuyler studied her for a few more seconds before finally setting the paper down with a sigh.

"Alright, you win. You'll get a free pass on your next supplementary class. But you still have to finish those spoons for today." He began rearranging the stack of papers on his desk, not noticing how increasingly flustered Catrina was becoming.

"U-um, actually, I have a different favor to ask..."

He suddenly stopped to look back at her. "And what would that be?"

During the time Catrina took to stall while writing the glyph, she had thought of another reward she'd much prefer to have. Riding on the high of courage and stupidity, she blurted out, "Will you go on a date with me?"

Time practically stood still. He didn't move. She didn't move. Everything was perfectly still and quiet. Seconds dragged by and felt like minutes which felt like hours. They didn't break eye contact the entire time. Catrina's mouth was dry. Little did she know, so was Schuyler's.

Finally, he was the first to speak. "E-excuse me?"

Catrina's face flushed all the way down to her neck. She was so hot she could barely stand it. To top it off, she felt tears of embarrassment well up in the corners of her eyes.

"I-I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't- I mean I just- excuse me!" Catrina tucked her head down and all but bolted out of the office. She didn't stay long enough to see Schuyler's very own blush creep across his cheeks. He held hand over his mouth, momentarily dazed at what just happened. _She didn't even finish the damn spoons._

Later that evening, Catrina was combing her hair after a much needed shower, appearing dejected in the mirror. _I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid-_ "Liz!"- _I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid-_ "Hey, Liz!"- _I'm so stupid, I'm so stupid, I'm so stu-_ "HEY, LIZ!"

Catrina finally snapped out of her inner chanting to look back at Amelia who had her hands cupped around her mouth. "Jeez, I've been calling your name over and over. You look like a zombie. Is there anything you wanna talk about?" _For starters, I really want to tell you my name is actually Catrina, not Liz, but we can't have everything._

"No, I'm fine..." Amelia grimaced at her, clearly not ready to give up that easily.

"Oh, c'mon, if you can't confide in me, who _can_ you confide in? We're best friends, remember? I'm here for you if you ever need anything. So, come on, spit it out. And don't you try to insist you're fine, because even a door nail can tell you aren't." The bossy red head crossed her arms with a huff, staring at Catrina hard.

 _Crap_.

"Okay, well, I... kind of asked... a guy out today..." Amelia made an instant 180.

"What, really, who?" She grabbed a nearby pillow and started squeezing it in excitement.

Catrina sighed, "Doesn't matter, I got rejected anyways."

Amelia threw a hand over her heart for exaggeration as she responded, "Well, of _course_ it matters! I need to know who the guy is so that I can give him a piece of my mind! Who in their right mind would reject you?! You're the sweetest, cutest, funniest, most sincere girl I know! Any guy would be lucky to have you! So, come on, out with it! I'll take care of them personally!"

Catrina slinked from her vanity to her bed, tears welling up in her eyes again as she weakly shook her head. She then slumped into her pillows and softly cried, refusing to linger on the subject anymore. Amelia finally got the hint as she slid off her own bed to place a comforting hand on Catrina's back.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have pried so much... I won't bring it up again unless you want to talk about it. I have some chocolate stashed away in my nightstand if you'd like some?" Catrina simply shook her head and remained silent until Amelia told her goodnight.

Several hours later, Catrina was woken up by a soft tickling sensation on her cheek. When she finally blinked her eyes open and adjusted to the dark, she realized it was a magic note. She also realized it was 2 AM. _Who the hell is bothering me this late?_ She quietly turned on a lamp, thankful that Amelia was facing away from her, and read the message.

 _"Liz, meet me in the botanical garden. - C. Schuyler. P.S. The housemother doesn't need to know, so sneak out the window with the vines. Yes, I know about that."_

Catrina drew a blank. She kept reading the message, over and over, until the magic note finally disappeared in a puff of sparkling dust. He wanted to meet her. He. Her. Them. Together. At night. _Ohmygod, what am I going to wear?!_ Full of excitement, Catrina threw her covers off and dressed as quietly as she could. She wore simple black tights with a pair of tan combat boots and an over-sized, pink sweatshirt. She skipped a bra and panties because A.) her boobs were small enough that the sweatshirt concealed them and B.) panties + tights = embarrassing pantie lines. _No, thank you_.

Catrina stealthily made her way out of the dorms and briskly walked to the entrance of the botanical garden. Her breath caught in her throat as she actually saw him standing there. The pale moonlight highlighted his silhouette as he waited for her, dressed casually but still in all black. _Classic Schuyler_. She made the remaining steps to meet him, their eye contact never breaking. She finally stood in front of him, craning her neck to continue looking into his eyes, hoping they'd reveal some answers to the many questions she had.

He finally spoke up. "Hey."

"Hey." She breathed back.

"I think this is the first time I've ever seen your hair down."

"What?" Catrina automatically lifted her hand to touch her hair and realized she rushed out of the dorm without throwing it up in her traditional pigtails.

"I like it." His voice was friendly, casual. Nothing at all like his harsh, demanding lecturing voice. The whole atmosphere of this situation was finally starting to settle in. Catrina didn't know what to make of it, so she stood there awkwardly after mumbling a quiet, "Thanks."

Her eyes drifted down to the stonework beneath their feet and Conrad furrowed his brow at her. "Is something wrong?"

 _There are several things wrong, Schuyler._ Catrina finally brought her face back up to ask him, "Why'd you ask me out here?"

There was a moment's pause before he replied matter of factly, "I thought you wanted to go on a date?"

Catrina's breath hitched as her eyes widened at him in surprise. "Wait, you mean, this is-?"

"Well, we can't exactly go on a date during a field day with everyone around, and tomorrow's a weekend, so I figured it wouldn't matter so much if you were out late." His eyes were sincere as they gazed into hers. In fact, his face was almost vulnerable. It took a minute for Catrina to process everything as reality but eventually she nodded.

"Okay... so now what?"

Conrad smiled at her, "How about a walk?"

He offered her his arm which she tepidly accepted and they set off down the botanical path. The scuffing of their shoes on the stone and the rhythmic hum of frogs from the lake were the only sounds that filled the night air. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves and cooled Catrina's face that she didn't realize had been flushed this entire time. The breeze must've been chillier than she initially thought as her nipples hardened, making her hyper aware that she was bra-less and, even more mortifying, had her breast pressed against Conrad's arm. Surely, he'd notice. In an attempt to distract herself (and him) from it, she started asking the questions that had been swirling in the back of her mind.

"So, why'd you decide to accept my request for a date? Isn't it unprofessional? Won't we get in trouble if we're caught?" She glanced up at him and caught him smiling though he kept his eyes faced forward.

"It is indeed highly unprofessional and I'm sure there'll be dire consequences if we get caught. But, for the sake of my sanity, I said, 'Fuck it.'"

The use of the word fuck brought back another rush Catrina had felt earlier in Conrad's office when she heard him utter damn for the first time. "What do you mean for the sake of your sanity?"

There was another pause and Catrina almost wondered if she'd pried too much like Amelia had earlier. Then Conrad inhaled deeply.

"I've never really had a significant other in my life," he started, "and I always regretted it. Living alone in the world is convenient but also depressing. I enjoy my work and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but there are days where I long for the classic home life where my wife would lovingly greet me, asking about my day and listening intently, maybe having dinner cooked or waiting to cook together. Then we'd dance in the kitchen," at this, he grabbed Catrina's hand and waist then gently guided her in a tender waltz, "and she'd laugh and tell me how terrible I am at dancing."

Catrina giggled, "But you're actually quite good."

"Shh, shh, this is my fantasy." He grinned which only evoked more giggles out of the young woman.

They danced a few more steps before he twirled her and brought her close to his chest so they could sway. His warmth seeped into her as she rested her cheek on him, getting more and more swept away by the blissful moment as the minutes passed. _If I'm dreaming, don't wake me up._

"Hmm, okay, so you sometimes wish you could have a normal, happy, married life. What does that have to do with me?"

Conrad was quiet once again, thinking about how to phrase what he wanted to say. The hand that held Catrina's back gripped her tighter, making her heart flutter.

"I... have only loved one other woman in my entire life. But I did nothing. I let our difference in stations keep me from pursuing her. And I regretted it ever since." _He must be talking about Luca's mother... Princess Aulelia..._. Catrina knew very well of Princess Aulelia. In fact, she even knew Luca's biological father. But that was a story for another time. A subtle pang of disappointment poked at Catrina's heart upon hearing that Conrad had loved another woman. She already suspected that he had, and it was childish to be jealous of an old flame, but even so, her idealism had some small hope that maybe she would be Conrad's first love. Not that she was a second love- he hasn't clarified yet, but she can only assume by his use of the word 'other'.

"You're a lot like her." His voice was incredibly soft and gentle. Catrina was at a loss for words. They stopped swaying and met each other's eyes again. On one hand, Catrina didn't want to be some cheap replacement for his old love, but on the other...

"Does that make me the only other woman you've loved in your entire life?"

Conrad locked eyes with her, biting his lip ever so slightly. "I don't know if I'd go so far as to prematurely call this love, but I do genuinely wish to pursue you in hopes of finding out." His answer was honest and straight forward- just the way Catrina liked it. She smiled gently back at him.

"Does this mean you're asking me to wait for you until I graduate...?"

"Hmm, that'd be the smart thing to do... but I'm a rather impatient man and would much rather have you now." Both of his hands were gripping Catrina's waist now, pressing her to him as much as physically possible. The gesture combined with the sudden lustful gleam in his eye aroused Catrina and before she knew it, she was standing on her tip toes, capturing his lips with hers. His lips were surprisingly soft and warm, quickly melding with hers as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. His right hand reached up to cup her cheek tenderly at first, then moved to the back of her neck in order to pull her into a deeper kiss. Her fingers grabbed hold of his shirt, supporting herself on his chest as her legs grew weak. Finally, after all these months, she had him. It was completely unexpected, but she wasn't complaining. He finally released her, both panting lightly as their eyes dilated with desire.

"Is it bad that I want to skip the dating and go straight to the fucking?"

A jolt of excitement and surprise coursed through Conrad after hearing her say that. Reasonably, in order to develop a healthy, stable relationship, they should take things slow. But looking down at the cute little thing in his arms, lips wet, eyes begging, he just couldn't say no.

"If fucking's what you really want, who am I to say no?" In the next instance, Conrad had flicked out his wand, pointed it at them and teleported them to his office. With another wave of his wand, everything cleared off his desk, and he set Catrina on top of it, kissing her with an urgent need. It all seemed funny to Catrina how mere hours ago, she was crying, thinking she had ruined what relationship she had with him, only to now be eagerly manhandled by the man himself. His hands were restless as they explored her body, racing up and down her sides, her thighs, her neck, her back... all while probing her mouth with his tongue. Catrina fantasized about Conrad countless times, but absolutely nothing prepared her for the real thing. The warmth of his hands, the taste of his tongue, the faint scent of his cologne- it all drove her crazy. He broke away from her lips and began kissing down her jawline while his hands slipped under her sweatshirt, caressing up her bare skin until he cupped her breasts, eliciting a sudden moan of pleasure as her hands gripped his shoulders.

His breath was hot against her ear as he whispered, "Mmm, they're as soft and perky as I imagined..." His voice was husky and sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. Then he suddenly pinched both of her nipples, tugging on them as he sank his teeth into the crook of her neck with every intention of leaving a hickey.

Catrina wasn't a virgin per say, but she hadn't been touched in so long she might as well have been. She gasped and shuddered at the rough stimulation, no doubt turning Conrad on even more. He tugged her sweatshirt off in one fluid motion and stared at her cute breasts for a moment before slipping a nipple into his mouth.

"Ah! Sc-Schuyler..." His tongue swirled around her nipple a few times before sucking on it harshly. He parted from it with a pop and looked up at her.

"Call me Conrad." His voice was breathy but his movements were sure. He stripped off his own shirt before pushing Catrina down on the desk, looming over her. He pinned her tiny wrists above her head with one hand while the other trailed down her side until he slipped into her tights. Just his fingers brushing over her hot pussy made her buck her hips and release a muffled moan against his lips. She could feel him grin as he rubbed his fingers along her entrance, occasionally brushing against her clit to elicit more whimpers.

"God, you're so fucking _wet_."

"I've been fantasizing about you for months; I've got a lot of pent up urges." She grinned at him. He returned the grin along with two fingers abruptly entering her pussy. Her gasp made him chuckle before he replied, "I've ached for you countless nights too. You have no idea how much sleep I've lost simply thinking about taking you." His fingers slowly explored inside her, curling, gently thrusting, building up her need for something more.

"Ah, Conrad, please-!" His hand had released her wrists so she now gripped his shoulders and began to arch her back, displaying her breasts even more alluringly and enticing him to suckle the other nipple he ignored earlier. His fingers dug deeper into her while the palm of his hand rubbed her clit madly. As soon as he felt her walls begin to tighten, he pulled out his fingers only to put them in his mouth. Catrina's eyes grew mortified as she wasn't sure what she tasted like. He smirked at her as he slowly pulled his fingers out; then he licked his lips and purred, "Delicious."

As if on cue, he immediately began to tug her tights off and relished at how cute and pink her pussy was, gleaming with wetness. Before Catrina had time to react, his head dropped in between her legs and his tongue darted into her heat. She moaned even louder, arched her back even higher, and gripped the edge of his desk with pleasure. He lapped up her juices like ice-cream before it could run down the cone, briskly swirling his tongue around her clit after every other pass. The feeling of his warm tongue exploring inside of her was her favorite part as she bit her lips and moaned even louder every time he did. Then, just like before, he pulled away as soon as he felt her body twitch with anticipation of cumming. Catrina looked a little peeved in between her panting, but Conrad only gave her a cheeky smirk as he undid his pants.

"I didn't know you had a teasing kink." Catrina glared at him.

Conrad chuckled, "It's not so much that as it is I just want you to cum on my cock." By now he was looming back over her, so Catrina didn't even get the chance to eye his member before he effortlessly slid it in her. They mutually gasped and moaned, in pure ecstasy at having finally completed each other.

"Oh, _fuck_ , Liz, you're so tight..." Conrad breathed.

"Catrina." She gasped. "Call me Catrina."

Conrad eyed her, clearly curious as to the sudden name change, but went along with it regardless. " _Catrina._ "

And that was it. He captured her lips aggressively, one hand firmly fisting her hair while the other held her hips as he thrust into her like a depraved man. The room as filled with sounds of his flesh smacking into hers, the desk scuffing across the floor, the squelching of her sopping wet pussy, and, above all, their erotic moans of ecstasy. Conrad straightened up and re-positioned his hands to grip her milky thighs, spreading her even more as he slid deeper into her, earning higher pitched mewls of excitement. The image before him was far better than anything he could've fantasized- her cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, her eyes were squeezed shut with tears prickling at the corners, her normally tame hair was strewn across everywhere, her hands gripped the edge of the desk above her head, her small breasts bounced with every thrust, her rosy nipples hardened from arousal... But nothing compared the sight of watching his thick, hard cock slide into her cute little pussy, filling it up, making it throb and ache, wishing to climax.

Catrina peeped open her eyes to get a good look at her teacher- no- her lover for future fantasies. His charcoal hair was strewn over his shoulder in a loose ponytail, sweat began to form on his forehead to match his labored breaths, and his cheeks were dyed their own shade of red. His gray-blue eyes were only half open and staring intently at her. Catrina's pulse quickened even more (if at all possible) at the sight of his body which was surprisingly well-toned. Everything about him reminded her of how much of a man he was- his large biceps, his lean abs, his broad shoulders, the sheer size difference between them as he dominated her, making her his. She caught a glimpse of his cock ramming into her, making her melt and consciously tighten around him. She was rewarded with a deep groan as he tilted his head back, digging his nails into her hips even more. When he refocused his attention on her and saw her staring back at him with dreamy eyes, he finally caved in and began roughly rubbing her clit, never breaking his rhythmic pace. It was Catrina's turn to throw her head back, practically screaming in pleasure as she matched her hips' movements with his.

"Aaaah-aaAAH- Conrad, I'm- I'm cumMING-!" In mere seconds, Catrina was unraveling at the seams, arching her back completely off the desk and turning her knuckles white as raw ecstasy racked her body. Conrad slowly circled her clit until she was too sensitive to bear it, riding out her orgasm. She panted hard but didn't have a moment to catch her breath as Conrad scooped her up effortlessly.

"My turn." He growled as he attacked her neck with more lovebites and pressed her up against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as his cock pumped deeper into her hot flesh. His hands squeezed her ass and his tongue found its way back in her mouth to be delightfully sucked on. Catrina's nipples grazed on his chest with a friction she would savor for many nights to come. A few more vigorous thrusts and-

"Catrina, I'm cumming-!" His voice was hoarse as he rested his forehead against hers and grabbed a fistful of her hair again.

"Cum in me, please, cum in me!" She begged which finally sent him over the edge, spilling his hot cum deep in her, not even remotely worried about potential consequences. They groaned together again, eyes closed and heads tilted back. When he completely finished, he ran his thumb over her warm cheek and searched her eyes before giving her a passionate kiss.

"Thank you." He breathed.

"No," she smiled, "thank _you~_ " She gave him a kiss on the nose, then pressed her forehead against his. They panted in unison as Conrad was sapped of his remaining strength to hold her up. Catrina's knees almost buckled under her as soon as she touched the ground, but he caught her just in time.

"Here." He grabbed his wand and made a comforter appear which he wrapped them both in to rest on the floor. He laid down on his back and she snuggled into his chest, perfectly content with life and the man whose love life she had successfully entered. His arms were gentle as they held her close, almost as if to make up for how rough he was being earlier. Which Catrina didn't mind.

A sigh escaped Conrad as he regained his composure, staring at the ceiling. Catrina peeked at him, curious about his thoughts.

"What's wrong? Regretting everything already?"

He limply shook his head. "No. I'm just trying to strategize how best to keep our relationship a secret without it impacting our usual lives."

"Oh. Well, that's a lot better than regret." She grinned before nuzzling into his neck and inhaling his musky scent mixed with cologne.

He lightly chuckled before squeezing her tight and kissing her temple. "I'm so glad to finally have you..." He whispered.

Catrina's heart fluttered at the word 'finally'. She gave him a puzzled look, "Just how long have you been interested in me?"

"Quite some time, actually. Admittedly, it took a while for you to grow on me given how much of a headache it is to teach you, but... witnessing your perseverance and determination, your kindness and positive attitude first hand for so long... I couldn't help but start to grow fond of you. And then there were the days when you'd remind me you're a woman and my fondness grew to be a little more lewd." He snorted in amusement, remembering the day Catrina got soaked by one of her own spells. Conrad was, fortunately, the only one who saw her lacy pink bra through her shirt. He threw his cloak over her and dried her off with a spell before any other men could catch a glimpse, blushing like mad the entire time.

"Hey, Conrad..."

"Hm?" Conrad was pulled away from his memories to look at her. She had a face of deep contemplation and concern which only proved to worried him.

"... I'm not as dumb as you think I am."

"... What do you mean?"

"I mean... I can't explain everything right now, but take my word for it. I'm a lot more gifted than you think."

He took a slow, deep breath. "Does this have anything to do with me now calling you Catrina instead of Liz?"

She nodded before burying her face in his armpit, embarrassed for some reason.

Conrad let out another sigh and rubbed her shoulder. "Okay. I'll be here for you whenever you're ready to share your secrets."

With that, they nodded off to sleep for the precious few hours they had before morning light.


End file.
